Gloria

Thriller Stories | Jan 3, 2012 | 8 min read
56 Votes, average: 4 out of 5
With an intravenous pole near and nowhere to go, Gloria lay in her hospital bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't remember how she got there. She couldn't remember why. She only knew she was. She found it even more curious that no one would fill in the blanks for her. She couldn't even remember when she'd seen the doctor last. There was something important hovering on the stem of her brain; something she needed to remember but couldn't. Every time she tried to remember, she blacked out. When she came to, it was always the same nurse tending to her.

"How did I get here?" she tried again. Silence greeted her. The nurse didn't look at her as she busied herself recording stats. Not even when she applied the blood pressure bag to her arm did she venture a look, nor did she ever respond. Gloria waited for the squeeze. When it was done, she grabbed the nurse's arm. She finally got her attention.

"How did I get here?"

Incomprehension blinked in the nurse's eyes.

"Oh geez. It's not a difficult question. Ok, how about this one then. Why am I here?"

It was brief but she caught a slight flicker of understanding this time. She waited but the nurse gave no answer. An exasperated sigh escaped.

"Oh, come on, really? If you can't tell me, can you get someone who can?"

The only response was the sound of the nurse's soft soles on the linoleum floor as she turned and left the room. Moments later, a man entered the room. Gloria swallowed. A faint flicker of remembrance flashed through her head, but disappeared too quickly. He was a large man, broad and stocky of shoulder, his scalp peeking through thinning hair that sprouted around his face like an unattended lawn. His hands were surprisingly small and soft as he touched her arm.

"You have questions?"

Finally!

"How did I get here?"

"You arrived by ambulance."

"Why am I here?"

"To get strong again."

This answer caused her to pause. She didn't remember any accidents. She didn't remember being sick. The last thing she remembered was running down the sidewalk, away from him.

"What happened to me?"

"I don't know. When you arrived, you were incoherent with many bruises. You suffered fractures to your ribs here and here." He pulled back her blanket to show her where she was wrapped. "You suffered trauma to your vertebrae here and here." Her peripheral vision caught his movements at three places on her back though she felt nothing. "I pulled two bullets out of your right shoulder." He moved to her other side and opened her gown to show the stitches. "You are still in need of some cosmetic surgery to repair your broken nose, and a dislocated jaw." He touched her face gently and she winced. Tears pooled in her eyes, hovering on the edges.

"When did I get here?"

"Three weeks ago."

"But you don't know what happened to me?"

"I don't even know who you are. You came with no identification, no personal affects, just the torn clothing on your body. You were unconscious. Tell me. What do you remember?"

Nothing made sense. All the memories Gloria had lent nothing to this scenario. Even as the acceptance letter flashed in her mind, her intuition told her it would be better to reveal nothing until she found out more.

"I don't remember anything. That's why I asked."

"I see." He looked her over, lifting her arms and legs, tapping them and asking her general questions about feeling. She had none. More tears pooled in her eyes, these spilling over. "Your strength is returning, so we will begin physical therapy as soon as you regain feeling."

Hope flared in her eyes.

"When do you think that'll happen?"

"Typical recovery time is about five weeks. You are progressing a bit ahead of schedule so I am hopeful that it will happen soon. You should get some rest." He whistled as he left and Gloria blacked out again.

~*~*~*~

With an intravenous pole near and nowhere to go, Gloria lay in her hospital bed and stared at the ceiling. She let her mind wander hoping it would bring her to how she got here, and what had happened. No one gave her any answers. In fact, no one spoke to her at all. They just came in and poked, scribbling on a clipboard they never left within eyesight. She could feel numbness in her fingers and the slight tickle of the pen they would brush against her toes, but they never asked her. It was always the same nurse and the same doctor that came. She heard the door slide open and the curtain blow back. She heard the click of the line as it was brought swiftly to a close. It was odd how she was never given a glimpse of the world outside her room.

"How did I get here?" She was determined to get some answers. The doctor startled, then smiled.

"Oh good! You're awake. We were starting to worry."

She was awake many times when they'd come in. This made no sense at all.

"I don't understand. I'm awake quite often when you come in. No one has ever acknowledged it until now."

"You haven't spoken until now. We knew you would eventually. Now, tell me. What do you feel?" He pressed against her toes hard. A small sliver of pain shot through her.

"That hurts. Please. How did I get here?"

"Do you remember nothing?" He moved to her arm, bending and lifting, ignoring her overall. He had yet to look her in the eyes.

She remembered plenty, but instinct told her to say nothing.

"No. How did I get here?"

"Someone dropped you off at the ER entrance."

No. This doesn't sound right. She'd been running down the sidewalk, running away. She didn't get in anyone's car.

"Why am I here?" She shivered as he pulled back her blankets and checked the wrappings around her abdomen. She was beginning to feel pain there, but said nothing.

"You are hurt. Does it hurt when I press here?" She winced in response. "Good, good. Things are looking better every day."

"How did I get hurt?"

"I don't have all the details, but it is my understanding that you had been shot." He pressed on her shoulder and held up a mirror so she could see the angry slashes where they'd removed the bullets. "From the looks of you, I'd venture a guess that you were beat up as well. You have three broken ribs, three shattered vertebrae, your nose was broken, your jaw dislocated, and numerous bruises all over. You were unconscious for the better part of two weeks."

She gasped. How could she not remember what he was describing?

"How come I can't remember any of this?"

"It's possibly a defensive move on your brain's end. Perhaps whatever caused it was too traumatic. I'll start sending the hospital psychologist over. You'll start physical therapy tomorrow. You've got enough feeling back now."

"When can I go home?"

He avoided her question completely. "You should get some rest. There is time for questions later. I'll be back."

He moved beyond the curtain, whistling as he went, and the last thing Gloria saw was his ankles under the billowing curtain as he slid the door open once more.

~*~*~*~

The morning was sunny and warm, the first warm day after a too long winter. Gloria had mixed feelings. Today she would leave home for the first time to do an internship with Robomechanics, the largest technological company on the planet. She'd received the award letter only a few days ago, surprisingly. The interviewer was a small rat of a man that Gloria took an immediate disliking to. He explained his company well and her role as an intern within it, and hooked her in from the beginning. He explained in detail that she would be involved in the creation of humanoid robots that the military would use as soldiers. While his explanations excited her, his disposition was lacking, and she knew it affected how she'd responded to some of the questions. It was definitely a great surprise that she was one of the few selected for the program. She looked forward to starting.

Two days ago, a man with enough muscles to rival Mr. Universe knocked on her door. His voice carried a thick Italian accent, and a badge he produced claimed him as a Robomechanics employee. He was there to test her overall fitness and put her through a series of trials that she barely passed. He commented on her muscle tone often, praising her physique despite her ability to produce 15 military push-ups in a row. He was brusque and manly in handling her, and she was surprised to find several bruises on her thighs and back after he'd left.

She'd seen him walking down her street again yesterday, though he didn't stop and knock. She'd noticed other strange men suddenly hanging out on the street corners and sleeping in cars just beyond hers. She was unaccustomed to the attention and for the first time, her excitement began to dim slightly. She understood that it was protocol for the sensitive nature of what she would be working on, but it didn't sit well with her.

When the phone calls started, her doubts overwhelmed her desire. She was told to shut her curtains, remain indoors, and only accept calls from Robomechanics. She was instructed to give the appearance that no one was home in order to discourage any visitors from stopping by. She didn't understand it, but she followed the instructions. When she tried to get online, she realized her internet was turned off. They'd done everything they could to remove her from the outside world. This didn't suit her at all.

She inched the curtain over to get a good view of the street. The watch car was gone, and there were no strangers haunting the street corners. She was going to make a run for it. She packed her shoulder clutch with as much as she could, leaving her ID and everything to prove who she was in the house. She pulled her stylish brown hair into a chignon and pulled a knit cap down over it in an attempt at disguise. She formulated a plan that would get her as far away from here as quickly as possible. She would run to Jim's first. He would make her a new ID so she could get away until it was safe for her to return home. She sighed, choking back a small tear as she said goodbye to her little house, knowing that she might not ever return.

She'd gone half a block when she heard lumbering footsteps behind her. With a quick side glance, she recognized Mr. Universe. Maintaining her pace, she took stock of her surroundings again, noting the watch car was back, hovering in the distance. She contemplated entering the small market, but realized they would just be waiting for her to come back out. She decided to make a run for it instead. Her feet pounded the pavement even as her eyes searched for an opening in the traffic ahead. She felt him take off behind her as the ground shook with each new step he took. She felt searing pain ripple through her right shoulder in the same instance a fist came out of nowhere and connected with her face.

~*~*~*~

"How did I get here?" She asked the masked face attached to the broad shoulders she was familiar with.

"You were brought here."

"Why am I here?"

"To fulfill your internship. Did you really think we'd let you out of it? I'd like to introduce you to someone."

The nurse wheeled in a full sized mirror. She flipped it around so Gloria could see her reflection in it. The doctor unsnapped her gown and let it fall to the bed. Her mouth dropped open. Her tongue fell against the back of her bottom front teeth. The whites over her eyes enlarged in horror as she saw her image in the mirror. Where once there'd been pink flesh was now silver steel. Her silicone enhanced C cups were replaced with flattened steel that resembled the chest of a Ken doll. Her once luxurious brown hair was clipped in a boyish cut, and her distinctly feminine face had undergone cosmetic surgery that left her looking decidedly non-gender specific. The curtain slid open and revealed a cockpit of people dressed in military uniforms observing her.

"Say hello to She-bot #IQ3659. We call her ‘Glow'."

Before she could scream, the doctor whistled once more.

~*~*~*~

With an intravenous pole near and nowhere to go, Gloria lay in her hospital bed and stared at the ceiling. The nurse hovered nearby, checking her stats, and scribbling on the clipboard. She had full feeling in her arms and legs now, though no one ever asked her. The doctor entered, pleased with what he saw on the clipboard. He moved around her swiftly, lifting and bending every joint he could, never asking for her opinion. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound would come out. He noticed her movement, even as he bent her neck beyond what should be capable and smiled.

"No more questions," was his simple reply.

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Reviews

Gabi Jan 5, 2012

Good story. Very suspenseful, and not like most others. Keep it up!

SAM Jan 7, 2012

Thank you! It's always nice to hear that your story is original.

Nimi Jan 4, 2012

Awesome SAM!! I simply loved the story.... original... full of perfectly maintained suspense.... and entertaining :) Looking forward to some more from u.......

SAM Jan 7, 2012

Thank you for the feedback!

Amit Jan 4, 2012

awesome story. i really enjoyed it

SAM Jan 7, 2012

Thanks, Amit!

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